3 U.S. Officials Hurt in Pakistan Attack

A Pakistani helicopter flying over a tribal region in southern Pakistan came under fire from the ground Saturday, injuring three U.S. officials and four Pakistani army personnel, Pakistani security officials said.

The Americans were conducting surveys near Pakistan’s main gas fields, but the purpose of the mission was not known. No information was available on the extent of their injuries or their identities.

One of the injured Pakistanis was an army colonel, the security officials said on condition of anonymity.

The helicopter came under fire in the Bugti region, 280 miles south of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, the officials said.

The aircraft made an emergency landing at Jacobabad air base in southern Pakistan, which the U.S. military has used for logistical support since the war in Afghanistan in late 2001.

The region is home to the Bugti tribe, which has a long-running dispute with the government over royalties from the gas. Two months ago, the tribe was blamed for explosions on two gas pipelines that cut off the flow of gas for two days.